SPECIAL ?????????????????????????? and radio and has the ability to playmusic and video, you’ve got a seriously powerful pocket-sized tool. Simultaneously, a new category of notebook PCs is appearing. Called ultra-mobile PCs (UMPCs) or netbooks, they pack all the power ofmodelsmany times their size, yet many weigh in at less than a kilogramand are often housed in svelte cases. UMPCs are designed to handle basic computing tasks with ease. A popular example is ASUS’s Eee PC1000 H, which sports a 10-inch screen, full QWERTY keyboard, built-in camera, stereo speakers and an 80-gigabyte hard drive. With the addition of a headset microphone, most UMPCs can alsomake phone calls to and from anywhere using an inbuilt Wi-Fi connection ormobile data card and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). FEATURES FOR ALL Despite the emergence of such powerful portable devices, few experts believe a single uber-device will follow. “I don’t see the emergence of one device because people’s needs are so different,” saysMatt Gaskell, Nokia’s head of product management and convergence specialist. “It’s a bit like expecting there to be one model of car that suits everyone.” Rather, Gaskell says there will be a diverse range of portable devices fromwhich people can choose. “You’ll need to go and look at all the devices on the market and find the one with the features that suit you,” he says. “By default, that then becomes your own uber-device.” But once such a device becomes your constant companion, another challenge arises. With everything fromemail and documents to photos and video stored on it, you’ll need a way to connect it to the outside world.With this inmind, a group ofmore than 250 technology companies has been working to create a standard that lets electronic devices connect and share content easily. Called the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA), the group is focused on taking the NOVEMBERVOYEUR 141 PHOTOGRAPHY :: GETTY IMAGES